A- has been hard at work devising little games for herself – amusement and exercise all together. She spent an afternoon clapping and blowing happy raspberries, and then graduated to moving my hands to clap instead. She practised putting things on top of other things: blocks on a book, orange segments on W-‘s hand, bubble wrap on top of a very patient cat. She took stuff out of and put stuff into laundry baskets.

She’s gotten more comfortable with wandering a little away from me. Sometimes, when I’m in the kitchen, she creeps over to the living room and plays with a small collection of toys that we keep on a low shelf.

Her growing independence and ability to entertain herself meant that we were able to do a lot of cooking: another hunk of roast beef, an array of banchan, two pizzas, congee, and even a side-by–by- side comparison of Glico Premium and Vermont curry. (Glico was spicier and Vermont was sweeter; both had nice depth.)

We’ve also been figuring out our sleep and home routines. During her first awake period, we have breakfast and play a little. Depending on how much sleep I got, I might share her first nap with her. Then we have lunch, do chores (usually folding laundry), and go for a walk. After a snack, she has another nap while I write or play on my phone. More play time, then dinner, which is easy with a well-stocked fridge. Then we hang out with W-. She might get an evening snack depending on how things go. Then bath time and bedtime for her – maybe 8 or 9 in the evening, and sometimes earlier. After I settle her into bed, I can usually get 2-3 hours of discretionary time in the evening. I’ve even been able to catch up with my ledger, write posts, and make an adjusted cost base spreadsheet. (Although it turned out I’d wasted some effort – I’d forgotten that I had already made a spreadsheet like that a couple of years ago, which I found only when I started an index of important files. That’s why I need an index!)

W-‘s been busy, too. He spent some time painting, finishing, and lighting the front part of the living room in order to turn it into a new play area for her. It took a while to find a shade of paint that he liked. So many different kinds of neutrals out there! The results look great, though, and with the new flood lights he bought from Home Depot, the space feels much more usable. I snagged a set of elephant decals that were marked down to $2, and they make A-‘s room look a lot more fun and nursery-ish.